Ranma 1/2 By Night by Gregg Sharp ===== 1a: "It must be that time of month" all char tm their respective owners. note that as a storyline in The Bet, this is an alterniverse story and therefore will not mirror the manga. What it WILL hopefully do is mainly stay in character... ------------------------------------------------ "It's quite obvious, really, the earlier one places the alteration, the greater the effect at the end of the slope." Toltiir's tail was lashing, as anyone who knows felines would observe, that meant he wasn't too happy. "Yes, but we're also going for a certain...aesthetic quality. Otherwise the change Zeus placed where Japan was annexed as a territory by the United States (later attaining statehood in the mid-70s as the 52nd state) would have won." "Or Hel's entry where no nuclears were used, the War Council kidnapped the Emperor to keep him from surrendering, and the bloody War Of Inches began... Point taken." Clotho nodded. "Yes, yes, I see. Hmph. Well how about if I change THIS!" Both watched the scrying pool. No changes were evident. "Uhm, Clotho." Toltiir said after a moment. "You were going to introduce a tiny change in THIS timeline, right?" "Well, yeah. I thought if Ranma boyo fell in Spring Of Drowned Strapping Young Man..." "Your aim was off. WAY off. What you altered was the formation of Jusenkyo." "This's gonna be ruled illegal, isn't it? Aw, c'mon Tolty!" ----------------------- The young man took a seat, facing the three girls and looking nervously at the clock. "Uhm pop, it's gonna be sundown soon..." "Past your bedtime?" Akane said with a sneer. This guy didn't look so hot. "Hey, what's wrong with you? Why are you so hostile to me, I just got here." "Don't blame Akane here, she just found out about the engagement and she HATES boys." Nabiki elbowed Akane. "Right, sis?" "Yeah, whatever." "Oh," Ranma blinked, "who is she engaged to?" Everyone blinked at that except Ranma and Genma. "Well, son, there's something I wanted to tell you about, but with everything that had been going on..." "Ranma," Soun interrupted. "These are my three daughters. This is Kasumi, she's 19, Nabiki, she's 17, and Akane, she's 16. Pick any one you like, she'll be your new bride." "Oh, so that's what you meant. For a minute I was afraid that... SAY WHAT!?" "Son, you'd better choose quickly." Genma looked outside at how the shadows were lengthening. "I can't choose a wife." "Then it's settled." Nabiki nodded. "I'll accept this." She silently added she wanted a boyfriend anyway and none of the guys at school wanted anything to do with her that didn't deal with money or her little sister. "But..." Ranma looked outside as the shadows continued to lengthen. "There's something you should know." If they knew of his curse they wouldn't be so anxious. He had their attention. "Uhm, we ran into a problem in China. You've heard of werewolves right?" "Yeah," Nabiki smirked. "Don't tell me you were bitten by a werewolf and under the full moon you turn into a werewolf. I mean..." The sun set. The moon was already up. Ranma changed, hair lengthening, body changing shape before their startled eyes. Ranma-chan sighed. "Well it wasn't a were_wolf_ exactly..." Her voice had a soft quality that the male Ranma's voice did not have. //FLASHBACK///////////////////// "Here we come to Training Ground Of Cursed Valley. Here terrible tragic story sirs. Oh sir, LOOK OUT!" A woman with long purple hair jumped on Ranma, pinning him to the ground before he had gotten over his surprise. "OUCH! Hey, she BIT me!" Ranma punched the woman repeatedly, then rolled her off. "Huh?" "Hmmm. It's just a young girl. Ranma, to be so quickly overwhelmed by a mere girl." "Hey, she's about my age, OK? Besides, I wasn't exactly expecting this..." "Oh no, sirs, terrible thing happen." The Guide was moaning. "Oh terrible tragic story." ////END FLASHBACK///////// "Wait a minute, you were bitten by a girl, and now you turn into a girl?" Nabiki blinked. "According to the guide, it is something about the mists of Jusenkyo. They drive people mad, then afflict them with a curse that is transmitted much like a virus. While the original victim eventually returns to normal, the victims who get the curse thereafter are pretty much stuck that way." Genma sighed. "During the day, he's a guy unless something strange happens with the light levels. During the night he turns into a girl. There's one thing more, though. According to the guide, the change includes psychological effects during the nights of the full moon." "So it IS essentially the old werewolf curse." Nabiki nudged Akane. "He's perfect for you then, isn't he, Akane?" "You've already staked your claim, sis," Akane smiled back. "I wouldn't dream of stepping between you and your hentai fiance." "Who's a hentai?" Ranma was indignant. "It's not my fault!" "You turn into a girl, therefore you are a pervert." Akane nodded. "It doesn't matter if it is your fault or not." Ranma took in the look of disgust on Nabiki's face, the ever-so- slightly upset look that Kasumi was giving Genma, and the angry expression that Akane wore. She felt somewhat angry at this turn of events. "During the day you're a guy, right?" Nabiki speculated. "Sun sets and you turn into a girl?" Ranma nodded. The disgusted look had been replaced with a more thoughtful expression. "Ranma," said Genma, adjusting his glasses, "would you get me a beer?" "Right away, father!" Ranma got up, bowed, and scampered off to the kitchen. "It's...a full moon, tonight," Nabiki realized. "That's why the personality shift. She walks differently, talks differently, acts differently. I think the boy would have pounded you for that request." "Yes. Oh the shame of it. To have a son that fails to be...Oh, thank you, Ranma." He took the beer from Ranma. "Where was I? Oh yes. The shame of having a son that has failed so badly!" "Mister Saotome?" Kasumi put her cup carefully down on the table. "Isn't his curse _your_ fault? Wasn't it _your_ decision to visit that particular training ground?" "Well, we were prepared to sacrifice our lives for the Art." Genma looked about the room, not wanting to meet Kasumi's gaze for some reason. Ranma looked faintly embarrassed to be discussed like this. "Interesting. Does the rest of the werewolf lore follow through?" Nabiki was wondering about the effect of silver, was the curse contagious, did memories remain intact? "I have no idea." Genma shrugged. There hadn't been much time for experimentation on the road. Nabiki got out her abacus and began to work out a few possibilities in her head. There had to be a way to use this to turn a profit. "Oh, are you in charge of the expenses, oneechan?" Nabiki looked over at where Ranma-chan was looking at her papers and abacus. "You're into finances?" Ranma-chan nodded. "Hmm. Oh, yes, don't you think that money management is a traditional skill of the Japanese woman? It's so much better than the martial arts Daddy keeps trying to push on me!" "Oh, the shame of it all, Tendo!" "There, there, Saotome." Nabiki stopped. The change between the male Ranma and the girl in front of her was quite extreme, but she found herself liking this girl. Perhaps she was a kindred spirit in some way. "Why, yes, as a matter of fact." --------------------------------------- "So," Nabiki said, walking next to her iinazuke. "You don't remember that much after you've changed?" "Nah," Ranma replied, looking a little shaken. "Normally it's just the body that changes. Last night was the first full moon since the curse, and I can't remember anything very clearly. It's all just a kinda blur." "Are you any good with math normally?" "No, I mean I get by..." Nabiki smirked. "Your girl side was adding up figures without an abacus as fast as I was using one. She also gave a hand to Kasumi in the kitchen during clean up last night. Quite a performance." Ranma stumbled. "You're kidding? Please be kidding. What else did I do?" "You don't remember? How sad." "What?!" "Now, now, Saotome." Nabiki looked at where he'd almost fallen off the fence. "I think it would be easiest if we just called your female persona Ranko. She's really a seperate individual, who doesn't remember you too clearly either." "Well, I only got to put up with her three nights a month, and I'll be asleep most of that time. I hope." "Now remember," Nabiki said as they got to the school, "you don't know me. I'll let the cat out of the bag later when I can do some spin control, you understand?" "C-c-c-cat?" ------------------------------------------------ How could this change things? Ranma changes into a girl at night when the moon is up. If he sees a full moon even during the day, he changes then as well. Direct sunlight changes him back. Ranma changes psychologically at night during a full moon. She remembers everything the male Ranma does, but is along the lines of the Ranma-chan in the "Pretty Womanhood" episode. Nabiki starts looking for excuses to palm Ranma off on one of the others, but discovers that Ranma-chan has a head for business (remember that household finances in Japan are traditionally the wife's sole responsibility) and is turning to Nabiki as a friend... Something Nabiki doesn't have a lot of. Meanwhile, Kasumi is also taking Ranma-chan under her wing- and the young lady is anxious to learn. Akane finds herself being attracted to the male Ranma, while Ranma-chan is simply an annoyance. Enter Ryouga. He isn't cursed, up until he attacks Ranma-chan during a full moon and gets bitten. Did I mention that the curse is still transmittable during nights of the full moon? Shampoo enters a bit later, not only having been defeated by a male Ranma, but feeling responsible for his curse as she is the girl who bit him and gave him the curse. She isn't cursed anymore, having transmitted it to Ranma freed her of the mists. Then Cologne enters the picture, and as punishment for not marrying Shampoo, hits a shiatsu spot. Now whenever he shifts, it includes the mental/attitudinal changes whether there's a full moon or not. The story continues pretty much as normal, except that Ryouga now turns into Ryouga-chan. Oh yeah, and Genma gets too mean once too often during a full moon. Well, at least he doesn't turn into a panda... You really shouldn't have put your hand over her mouth, either... Oh dear, so Ryouga and Genma don't manifest any psych changes? And it's only Ranma who has the transmittable version? So why is Nabiki looking like she knows a way to profit off that? Hmmm. All sorts of possibilities here, dont'cha think?